Goodbye Tharpe?
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@justanotherfan This could be the scholie for Graham. Just got an alert from ESPN that Na looking to transfer.
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@Kip_McSmithers Hard to ever prove alternative outcomes. But you can make reasonable assumptions. But you are exactly right.
@wrwlumpy Tharpe was much different player at the end of 2012-13 than he was at the end of this past season, wouldn’t you agree? And KU played better in the Michigan game with Tharpe than with EJ (though I was always an EJ fan – but became convinced after his final two seasons he was clearly a 2, and not a 1). There were some that said that Tharpe might have just functioned better with a veteran team – maybe a good observation.
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@HighEliteMajor I agree that it’s sad, but maybe not horribly sad. I can’t pretend to know the pressures these kids are under, and they are kids, but NT’s personal choice with the selfie leaves a lot to be desired in off the court behavior. I’m not clever enough to even imagine what wordplay opponent fans might have used in their signs next season while playing us. I too am sad for him, but this feels like a consequence to poor behavior. This may be naïve on my part - if he was a stud PG and defender, would this be in the realm of consequences?
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Star reports it’s official.
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@Crimsonorblue22 I believe that is the opportunity for Graham to sign. I’m sure Self has already told him the 1 is wide open and will go to the player that gets the job done. What kid wouldn’t jump at the chance to run the Kansas offense?
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I supported Tharpe for 3 years.
His collapse at the end of this year and subsequent selfie session really ended my support for him to stay on our team. That stuff just doesn’t project a positive image of Kansas basketball.
He was too much of a crap shoot to start his senior year. Then we have invested (again) in him and why would he be successful this time in March? We’ve been down that road before with guys, and it isn’t fair for Self. Self has stuck his neck out for guys and it is time guys stick their own necks out there.
It seems Self has reconsidered his previous policy of worshiping seniority and cutting extra slack for experienced players. That was always an ill-fate concept. Players with seniority have to be held to even a higher standard than newbies because they’ve been here for a while and are expected to perform equal to the advantage they have by possessing Jayhawk experience.
This Tharpe situation needs to be the example for current and future Kansas players. If you want to be a jackass, then expect to hit the road! There are plenty of juco schools out there that probably don’t care what you do with social media or expect a definite positive performance outcome. But we are not a juco… we are Kansas Jayhawk basketball!
So… I say ‘goodbye’ to Naadir, but I will keep him in my thoughts and hope he takes the transfer year off to get himself together. Humans make mistakes… and they should be able to better themselves through the struggle those mistakes cause. Hope Naadir does that and comes out the other side a better person!
Once a Jayhawk, always a Jayhawk. So we should wish the best for him, but it is in everyone’s best interest that he transfer.
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And… We wondered what we would have to talk about in the off season!
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Suddenly… Devonte is Moses and the Red Sea has parted… Question is: will Devonte realize what a great opportunity this is for him to step right in to one of the best college basketball programs in the country and have an immediate impact?!
Can’t think of a time during the Self era where a point guard recruit had such a perfect scenario…
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Rustin Dodd just tweeted that - Tharpe is transferring to be closer to his daughter, who is currently going through some medical issues. Or something along those lines…
Sorry to hear that his daughter is having problems. Best of luck to him and her and I hope where ever he ends up he gets his head on straight and matures.
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Tharpe told self he needed to be closer to his daughter who is having medical issues.
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Part of me is sad to see a 3-year Jayhawk leave and part of me is happy to see him go, because that means more minutes for Frankamp and Mason. I posted some things about Tharpe that were maybe a little too harsh, so I feel vaguely responsible for him leaving. But I won’t lose sleep over it.
So who starts at point next season between Frankamp, Mason, and possibly Graham? I vote for Conner. His defense isn’t spectacular, yes, but he can knock down outside shots (which he should get plenty of with Oubre and Selden slashing), and he doesn’t turn the ball over. Mason is a better defender, worse shooter, and has a higher propensity for turning the ball over. I don’t know a ton about Graham, but I wonder if Self promised him starters minutes for coming to KU. I think Self would probably start him if he came to KU.
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I’m not going to delve into the reasons for his departure. I’ll accept that it has to do with his daughter.
I hope the best outcome for Naadir and his daughter.
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@Kip_McSmithers Not to be over skeptical but we were also told Zach Peters was leaving due to medical issues, not that he and KY had a physical confrontation and the team chemistry was off.
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@iheartjayhawks : I read it on the internet so it HAS to be true!!
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“I don’t know a ton about Graham, but I wonder if Self promised him starters minutes for coming to KU. I think Self would probably start him if he came to KU.”
Out of all positions, I think it is tough to guarantee minutes for a PG. There is so much to learn, the chemistry has to develop, and this is the position that really runs the team.
I would think he communicated to him that he will have every opportunity to own that job, but he will have to outperform our existing players. It wouldn’t take too much imagination to realize the door is open for him.
In reality, no one is guaranteed minutes when they go to a program. They can always botch that by playing bad, creating team chaos, making trouble off the court… etc.
I’m pretty sure even aggressive recruiters like Calipari state some kind of disclaimer on their ‘guarantee’…
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@drgnslayr Nice post. Ya, that’s seems a little bit more reasonable.
Do you think he’ll start then?
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Hard to say. He seems to have well-rounded skills, but he’d have to prove himself.
I’m positive he will get the chance to start!
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Interesting the KU players on twitter, at this time talking about working out and mentioning zero about their teammate! Well trained.
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Did we know about his daughter?
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@Crimsonorblue22 : Do you mean did we know he had a daughter? If so, yes.
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@Kip_McSmithers no, meant her having health issues. Although it’s none of our business, just these issues come up when questionable things happen.
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This post is deleted!
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I hope all the best for him in his endeavors apart from KU. It’s obviously for his best interest. I pray the best for his daughter too.
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Just a shot in the dark here… but HCBS told Tharpe it’s in Tharpe’s best interest if he transfers now because Self knows he’s got the next starting point guard for KU suiting up next year.
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Sad to see Tharpe go. Always liked him. Seems like a really nice kid. Hope he goes to a program where he can get big minutes and gets a degree after his Senior year.
Also sadly I agree that as a team we are probably better off with him gone. Could be a huge year for Mason and CF.
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I know there was talk about this player would make us win in this game and that, but one has to wonder why the guys who would have helped us win weren’t starting but playing well at the end of games late in the season.
To me it’s because they have fresher legs, knees and bodies if they are only plying 7-15 mins a game and not 30 to 35.
Might be why we all think that Tharp was a better choice than EJ and EJ was a better option over Taylor and so on. When you are back up you are a little fresher than the guy that’s playing two to 3 times the amount of minutes.
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I as many had extremely high hopes for Na as a freshman in Bill’s “box”.
As a sophomore we also envisioned a different outcome to the Michigan game with EJ off the court & Tharpe in his groove at the end.
As a Junior, it was rough sailing from beginning (suspension} to an anticlimactic end (selfie).
But maybe HEM summed up the playing issues most accurately in saying that perhaps Tharpe was just more comfortable running a veteran team than leading younger guys. What ever the cause, the effect is powerful. Sad to hear of his family problems & I’m sure there’s more than truly meets the eye, but more so yet, because we’re losing a diehard Jayhawk, no ifs, ands, or buts. This opens the door even wider for our returners plus Graham if he does end up here. Also, it maybe even gives us a shot at a more elite PG in 2015 or 16.
But from all the rats on kubuckets, our deepest gratitude &sincerest thanks to you Nadir, for all you’ve accomplished, given, and the efforts you’ve put forth. Find the right path for your family & yourself. Sometimes things happen for reasons we don’t fully understand, and just maybe it’s better this time that we really don’t.
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Regarding internet quotes -
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Good luck Nadir and hope your daughter is 100% soon.
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This post is deleted!
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Just a shot in the dark here… but HCBS told Tharpe it’s in Tharpe’s best interest if he transfers now because Self knows he’s got the next starting point guard for KU suiting up next year.
Now this is funny after a difficult story. The pic is priceless.
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@HighEliteMajor And here I thought Al Gore invented the internet.
Who Knew it was Abe?
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@HighEliteMajor : That’s my kind of humor.
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"And here I thought Al Gore invented the internet.
Who Knew it was Abe?"
No… it was definitely Gore! He invented the internet. He just lied about his age!
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Not just an issue of freshness, also an issue of exposure.
Teams prepare specifically for starters. Most college teams don’t prepare specifically for reserves, which means a reserve doesn’t have to go to his secondary skills. This is why guys can look great as reserves and have people clamoring for them getting more time, then struggle in an expanded role because they just don’t have the secondary skills to back up their primary package.
This is also why I am very cautious about avoiding recruiting top level players. I don’t mind OADs because you are pretty sure they can play. Guys ranked below 50 may develop like Tyshawn or may turn out more like Naadir. But you don’t know until you are 2-3 years down the road.
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Thanks to Naadir Tharpe and best wishes. Addition by subtraction as far as guard play goes. This should free up minutes for deserving players to get an opportunity to contribute. The cupboard is never bare at the University of Kansas!
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I predicted weary loads for Naadir, his coach and team unity come 2014-15. Now he gets a chance for a new breath of life, sitting a year to get his game and life together in a different program, perhaps starting and thriving his 4th eligible season. Unfortunately, his presence probably would have cast a distraction on the next Jayhawk season. The highest acclaim I can give him: I think we would have whipped Michigan in 2013 if he had subbed for EJ. His junior season was topsy turvy bittersweet sad…and then the nude photo. We will be no worse off with Mason and/or Frankamp running the point. Maybe much sounder. Hope springs eternal, says the ironic poet. And if Graham or someone new shows up, well then…
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@REHawk Actually, I feel somewhat energized by this announcement. Had already begun to dread the point guard logjam for November.
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@REHawk I agree with that. The logjam seems like less of an issue now.
Let’s assume that we don’t land Graham for a minute. I for one would love to land him but think he may play behind CF and Mason no matter what. At any rate, what is our lineup? This is kind of what I think but not sure how things will shake out.
PG - Mason starts with CF backing up but getting 50% of the PT. SG - Selden will obviously start. Greene backing up…but can he handle the ball well enough to play lots of 2? SF - Oubre starting with AW3 backing up. PF - Ellis obviously starting with Jamari off the bench. PF/C - Alexander starting with Mickelson and Lucas splitting off the bench and one of those guys will get more minutes than the other.
Thoughts?
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@joeloveshawks Now I see this discussion was already started…beat me to the punch.
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@HighEliteMajor OMG…I feel like we just won the lottery, HEM.
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I am shocked how good it makes me feel that Naadir wants to spend more time with his child. I assume he will now devote more time to reality, and less time to playing doctor and nurse. Or maybe, the woman who bore his child also saw the picture of Dr. Tharpe’s close examination of his nurse, and had a conniption fit. I realize my hypothesis is pure speculation, but stranger things have happened. Wow, the one day I work really late, and don’t jump on the internet, and all hell breaks loose …in a really good kind of way. This is great news, indeed.
